Process for the production of synthetic ammonia from the air or nitrogen



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Q i ROBERT F. GARDINER, OF CLARENDON, VIRGINIA.

PROCESS FOR THE PRQDUCTION OF SYNTHETIC AMMONIA FROM THE AIR OR NITROGEN;

No Drawing.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J an. 13, 1920.

Application filed January 18, 1919. Serial No, 270,969.

(FILED UNDER THE ACT OF MARCH 8, 1888, 22 STAT. L, 825.)

To all whom it may concern:

-Be it known that I, ROBERT F, GARDINER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clarendon, in the county of Alexandria and the State of Virginia, (whose post-office address 'is Departmentof Agriculture, Washington, D. 0.,) have invented a new and useful Process for the Production of Synthetic Ammonia from the Air or Nitrogen.

This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, chapter 143 (22 Stat. 625),

-States, Without payment of any royalty thereon.

Briefly stated my invention consists in the synthetic production of ammonia by either passing air or nitrogen through or into an acid, or alkaline solution of any description in contact with zinc, iron, steel, or alumlnum from which nascent .h drogen 1s bemg evolved, either by chemical action on the aforementioned metals alone, or by the use of those metals in any hysical condition between or on the electro es in contact-with any acid or alkaline solutions while a current a of electricity is being passed between the same; 7

. coal.

The object of my invention is to produce synthetic ammonia from the nitrogen present in the air, or nitrogen alone, and nascent hydrogen.

The advantages of my invention'are that synthetic ammonia can be directly produced by the passage of air or nitrogen either into or through nascent hydrogen with or without thef'action of electricity, in contrast to the formation of ammonia by means of heat treatment in the destructive distillation of The air furnishes an unlimited supply of elemental nitrogen, as compared with the necessity of separating nitrogen in the combined state from combination, with other elements, as is alsothe condition with respect to coal.

Having described my invention, I claim:

The process of producing synthetic ammonia consisting in bringing air into contact with an alkaline solution containing a metal from which nascent hydrogen is bein evolved. v

- n testimony whereof, I aflix my signa ture in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT F. GARDINE-R.

Witnesses:

EMMA Wnonnnn, HELEN M. BAUER. 

